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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

NASA release

Astronaut Steve Bowen Named To STS-133 Space Shuttle Crew

NASA selected astronaut Steve Bowen as a mission specialist on STS-133, the next space shuttle mission planned for launch on Feb. 24. Bowen replaces astronaut Tim Kopra, who was injured in a bicycle accident over the weekend.

"Tim is doing fine and expects a full recovery, however, he will not be able to support the launch window next month," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "If for some unanticipated reason STS-133 slips significantly, it is possible that Tim could rejoin the crew."

The crew change should not affect the mission's target launch date.

"Steve is an ideal candidate, and we have complete confidence he'll contribute to a fully successful STS-133 mission," Whitson said. "He has performed five prior spacewalks. That extensive experience, coupled with some adjustments to the spread of duties among the crew, will allow for all mission objectives to be accomplished as originally planned in the current launch window."

Bowen will begin training this week with the STS-133 crew, which includes Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe, and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott. Bowen also will train to perform the two planned spacewalks of the mission. He will join Alvin Drew to move a failed ammonia pump and perform other external configurations to the station.

The STS-133 mission to the International Space Station will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, an external platform that holds large equipment and critical spare components for the station. The mission also will deliver Robonaut 2, or R2, the first human-like robot in space.

NavySpaceFan

Wow! Interesting news! Good luck to CAPT Bowen and his new shipmates!

issman1

Back-to-back flights for Mr. Bowen. I believe only Dr. George "Pinky" Nelson had that distinction.

Robert Pearlman

STS-51L came between Pinky Nelson's STS-61C and STS-26 flights, so they really cannot be considered back-to-back.

I can't prove it but I called it to a friend the other day. Congrats to Steve. Well deserved. I hope Tim is okay.

Delta7

Good time to be a mission patch maker.

Or not.

MrSpace86

A new photo and patch might have to be created. This will be tough on autograph collectors. If the mission were to go through with the announced crew, Bowen would have retired Atlantis and Discovery. That's awesome.

Blackarrow

quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:STS-51L came between Pinky Nelson's STS-61C and STS-26 flights, so they really cannot be considered back-to-back.

John Young came close to making the ultimate back-to-back flights: Gene Cernan injured his right leg about six weeks before the launch of Apollo 17 and for a time it looked like his back-up, John Young, would be both the 9th, the 11th and the last man on the Moon. (I suspect NASA would have postponed the launch for one month instead, but if Cernan had actually torn the tendon, replacement by Young would have been the only viable solution).

chappy

Interesting choice to pick Steven Bowen, I believe it's the perfect replacement, my thoughts goes to Timothy Kopra... I'm sure that Steven will do this job well in a very short time of training but his experience will be noted for this replacement. Good luck Steven with STS-133 crew.

Neil DC

A great loss for Tim, but a great new opportunity for Steve. Good luck to them both.

Before Vladimir Dzhanibekov there was Alexander Serebrov flying Soyuz T-7 and Soyuz T-8!

dogcrew5369

If we're going to talk about back-to-back flights then Bob Crippen would have the distinction certainly of flying the same orbiter consecutively on 41-C and 41-G. Have to also add the crew of STS-83 reflying as STS-94.

My congrats to Steve, but I also feel bad for Tim.

brianjbradley

Back to back flights, as in flying one shuttle flight and then the immediate one afterward. 41D flew between Bob Crippen's 1984 flights and STS-84 flew between the two MSL flights in 1997.

ilbasso

Tom Jones flew back-to-back flights of Endeavour of essentially the same mission (Shuttle Radar Laboratory) on STS-59 and STS-68 in 1994.

brianjbradley

STS-65 and STS-64 flew in between Jones' missions, so technically not back-to-back missions. Bowen's assignments will mark the first time an astronaut flown the next mission after completing one.

dogcrew5369

quote:Originally posted by brianjbradley:Back to back flights, as in flying one shuttle flight and then the immediate one afterward.

As I noted the back to back flights for Crippen was for the "orbiter" and not the mission. I know 41-D and STS-84 were sandwiched, but I was just trying a different consecutive tangent. Didn't mean to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion. How could I have forgotten about Tom Jones on Endeavour.

astro-nut

With back to back space shuttle orbiter missions Dick Covey flew Discovery on 51-I and then again on STS-26 and Paul Lockhart on Shuttle Endeavour on STS-111 and STS-113.

brianjbradley

quote:Originally posted by dogcrew5369:I know 41-D and STS-84 were sandwiched, but I was just trying a different consecutive tangent.

My bad, Dogcrew. I guess back to back orbiter missions would also include John Blaha on STS-29 and 33 in 1989.

dogcrew5369

Thanks for the input on Covey, Lockhart and Blaha. Guess I should have spent a little more time remembering the other "orbiter" back to backs considering I got it started. Technically speaking though, wouldn't Culbertson, Deshurov and Tyurin have flown back to back on STS-108 and STS-105 as ascending and descending Expedition crewmates. They were on both shuttles and their names appear on both patches. They do become part of the crew once the shuttle leaves the ISS. Any arguments?

328KF

NASA TV just played a video of Bowen during his training with the crew, while being interviewed by Mike Massimino in his own unique style.

His best line: "So Steve, have you told your family that you're going up into space again?"